large portion of the missing plate was discovered in a rather singular manner. Two men were fishing in the back-water of some mills near Stamford, when their attention was attracted to something glittering on the bottom. By a dexterous use of their hooks they succeeded in drawing out about thirty silver spoons, forks, &c., all of which were part of the plunder of Miss Pulley's house.

16. A SHIP'S CREW POISONED. --About a fortnight ago, a Prussian brig Heinrich Gustav, in entering the harbour of Ramsay, Isle of Man, ran upon a bank, and finally became a total wreck. The master and crew were berthed ashore. On the 16th instant the captain's son was taken violently ill, and after enduring great pain died: at the same time the rest of the crew became similarly affected, and be fore morning three died. On inquiry, it was found that when the master, in conjunction with others, purchased the vessel, there was on board as part of the stores a can, of which the contents were unknown; but which was supposed to be arrowroot. In the confusion of the wreck this can was taken ashore along with an earthenware jar of arrowroot, and other cook's stores. When, therefore, the contents of the earthen jar were exhausted, the captain's son brought to the cook this fatal can, and the cook added to the mess four tablespoonfuls of arsenic-for such in fact was the white material in the can. The captain's son died in twenty minutes after he had taken his share of the supper.

18. FALL OF THURSTON CHURCH TOWER. -Shortly before midnight of Sunday, the 18th instant-and therefore but a few hours after evening service the tower of

Thurston Church (near Bury St. Edmund's) fell with a great crash, bringing down at the same time the roof of the nave and aisles to the extent of thirty-five feet, with three pillars and arches on one side and two on the other, and burying in the ruins the peal of five bells and the font, shattering the pews and the great door, and much injuring the organ (nearly a new one), which had been placed at the west end of the north aisle, close to the tower. The tower was about seventy-five feet high, the lower part of the fourteenth century, the upper of a later date. The church also dates from the fourteenth century, but with many later alterations.

19. CURIOUS WILL CASE.-The Assize Court at Derby has been engaged for three days in trying a will case, which involves some very curious circumstances.

The testator, George Nuttall, was a surveyor, residing at Matlock-a business-like and shrewd man, not overburdened with education, nor very careful in morals

for he lived on terms of more than cousinhood with a female cousin; whose sister served them in the lower capacity of maid-servant. This latter, in time, married a young man named Else, whom the testator had brought up in his office, and employed in copying documents, keeping accounts, and sometimes in writing his letters. Besides his illegitimate children, the testator's next relatives were cousins. By inheritance and fortunate building speculations, the testator had accumulated a nice property of some 12001. a year of real estate, 10,000l. personalty. He died on the 7th of March, 1856; and on search being immediately made, his will, duly executed, was

found in a gummed envelope, in a deal closet, the lock of which had to be forced. This instrument was known to have been executed in duplicate; and on the day of the funeral the second document was found, in the same cupboard, wrapped in an envelope, on which was written in the testator's writing, the words, "This is my right will." On comparing the two documents it was found that there were interlineations in the second not to be found in the first; and that, whereas the first found will, after providing for his cousin and her illegitimate children, disposed of the residue to various relatives, the subsequentlyfound will, by one of its interlineations, gave a devise to Else. A vast quantity of the deceased's papers were removed to Else's house. On the subsequent death of one of the legatees, the solicitor acting for the executors, Mr. Newbold, requested Else to look among those papers for a certain document. On doing so, Else found, in a basket of papers, a gummed envelope; which on being opened was found to contain a codicil, which after accurately reciting the original will, revoked certain legacies and made other dispositions greatly to the benefit of Else; and the attorney himself received an annuity of 507. a year, and his son an estate of some value. Some time afterwards Else, who had been appointed surveyor of highways in the place of his deceased employer, requested Mr. Newbold to search for a certain estimate book. He did so with Else's assistance. The book was found and laid on a desk. Else dined with Mr. Newbold, and was about to leave without the book, until his attention was called to it; and

then, on Else or young Newbold taking it up, a paper was observed pinned within it, which proved to be a second codicil, by which Else was benefited to a still further amount-he received, in fact, a considerable estate. This was not the end of these testamentary discoveries. A third codicil was found under more extraordinary circumstances in October, 1857. Else was then occupying George Nuttall's house, having before resided in a house of which the yearly rent was 6l., and had determined to furnish a room to which access from the house was had by going through the yard up a flight of stone steps, through a hay chamber. The room adjoined to Mr. Nuttall's bed-chamber, but there was no communication between the two.

This room Else employed a lad named Champion to clean, and as the lad was not tall enough to open the window, Else took hold of the window-seat in order to put himself into a better position for opening the window. The window-seat was about three feet high, and the window opened with a horizontal slide. In so doing the window-seat, of which he caught hold, slipped away from the mortar into which it was set, and left an opening between it and the window. Hearing the boy exclaim, "What's that?" Else got down, and took from the opened place a jar to which the lad pointed. It was a common stone pickle-jar, and was found to contain a canvas bag of sovereigns, which was wrapped about a paper marked "third codicil," and attested, like the second, by Adams and Job Knowles, and dated January 12. Under this codicil Else was further benefited by being made residuary devisee after various devises. The

validity of the original will, with out the interlineations (which were void) was not disputed: the genuineness of the three codicils was the matter on which the court had to determine. The marvels and confusion of this strange story do not end here; the glorious uncertainty of the law has added its mystifications to circumstances already sufficiently obscure. The Court of Chancery, being first applied to to settle the difficulties, after due deliberation, transferred the decision to the Courts of Common Law. The result cannot be described as satisfactory. The first jury found that the codicils were genuine; a new trial was obtained, and the second jury found that they were forged; and now pass ing back from the sharp fever of common law to the wasting consumption of Chancery, the estate of the late George Nuttall seems likely to end-like the great case of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce-in costs. 21. TRAGEDY ON THE HIGH SEAS. The American journals contain an account of a terrible tragedy perpetrated in the highway of New York harbour. On the morning of the 21st of March, three men, while in the bay off Staten Island, discovered an oyster-sloop with her sails torn to shreds and hanging over her side, which, with the general appearance of the craft, induced them to believe that she had been abandoned. They boarded the sloop, which proved to be the E. 4. Johnson, of Islip, Long Island. No living thing was on board. The deck was full of clotted blood and hair. On entering the cabin large pools of blood were found on both sides of the stove, and in the companion way. The starboard quarter on the outside had much blood on

it, apparently finger prints. Her boat was gone. From the articles found, it was clear that she had not been honestly abandoned. She was towed into harbour, and examined by the proper officers. The deck of the vessel presented the appearance of a slaughterhouse. Everything was covered with blood from stem to stern; matted hair was found upon the deck, and full and complete evidence of a terrible massacre was plain. An examination was next made of the cabin, and the sight here, if possible, was worse than upon the deck. Floor, tables, chairs, and washstand were besmeared with gore, and everything was disarranged, giving evidence of a furious struggle. A hammer, weighing about three pounds, was found upon the floor, covered, like all else, with blood. Considerable hair was also found upon it, and it seemed to be the instrument with which the murderons assaults had been committed. From appearances it was judged that the crew, being attacked in the cabin, made a desperate resistance, and that during the struggle all available means of attack and defence were used. After the examination of the cabin had been concluded the deck was again visited, and a close inspection of it still more satisfied everybody that a barbarous murder had been committed. From the cabin door there was an unbroken line of blood to the guards; but there was the appearance of a struggle, as the pool was very large; then, again, marks of bloody hands were seen upon the guard, and a hatchet mark. Blood ran down the outer side also. Forward, at the mast, there was more evidence of a ter rible struggle. A blood, yet fresh, la

tending to the bow; and here, again, human hair was found. The mast and sails were slightly besmeared, and on the guards, near by, were more imprints of bloody hands. Nothing could be discovered as to the cause of the tragedy, or of the ultimate fate of the crew. The owner and commander of the vessel was a man of respectable character, about 34 years of age, living on Long Island; his crew consisted of three men. The vessel left Key port on Sunday, the 18th; the next known of her was that on the morning of the 21st a schooner came into collision with her. At that time she seemed unmanageable, and there was only one man on board of her, who ran towards the bow. An hour or two afterwards she was found abandoned as related. For some reasons, which do not appear in the journals, a man named Hicks was suspected of having murdered the master and crew, throwing their bodies overboard. He was tracked and arrested, and on his person were found the watch belonging to the unfortunate master, and other articles, which clearly connected him with the crime; but he made further question unnecessary by confessing the whole. He said that the murder took place between 9 and 10 o'clock at night on the 19th or 20th of March; that there were five persons on board the vessel at the time-viz. Captain Burr, the two Watts boys and the "Devil." One of the Watts boys was at the bow on the look-out, and he and the "Devil" despatched him by a blow upon the head with a heavy instrument. The other Watts was below at the time, and while coming up to see what caused the noise, we," he said,

64

despatched him in the same way that "we" did his brother. "We" then, he said, proceeded to the cabin, and with an axe attacked Captain Burr. He was a powerful man and fought desperately, but "we" finally despatched him. "We"left the bodies on the deck for about an hour, and then threw them overboard. When asked how he felt after the murder while alone at sea, he replied that the Devil had sustained him but had now deserted him. He also confessed having been concerned in the mutiny and murders on board the ship Saladin in 1844 near the coast of Nova Scotia, but gave no particulars. His execution, on the 13th of July, was attended by more than 10,000 persons. The horrible occurrence had excited the utmost interest at New York and all its maritime suburbs, and the harbour was covered with a fleet of yachts, steam-boats, and wherries. The sloop which had been the scene of the tragedy "was in attendance."

23. BOAT ACCIDENTS.-Two accidents, by which several lives were lost, happened on this day.

Of one of these, which occurred at Worcester, the circumstances are very melancholy. The Worcester and Hereford railway had been opened some months for passenger traffic from the west bank of the Severn to Malvern, about eight miles; but the bridge over the Severn had not been passed by the Government inspector of railways, who did not consider it sufficiently strong for the purpose. In order to strengthen it, the engineer had caused to be placed six tiers of massive wooden piles or supports, three under each of the two arches, which, of course, offered considerable obstruction to

the traffic on the river, and caused a distressing accident. As a canal boat, laden with coal, was passing under the bridge, she struck against the piles, and immediately capsized. At the time there were seven persons on board, viz. the captain, named Whitehouse, his wife, three children, a sister of Mrs. Whitehouse, and a boatman named Causer. The captain was steering, the children were in the cabin, Mrs. Whitehouse was washing in the hatchway, and Causer was rowing. Whitehouse contrived to hold on by the piles, and seizing his wife by the hair of the head, held her suspended until a boat came out to their assistance. Causer swam ashore, but the three children and Mrs. Whitehouse's sister, aged fifteen, were all drowned.

The other misfortune occurred at Portsmouth, to a boat belonging to H.M.S. the Firebrand, lying at Spithead.

Between 1 and 2 P.M., the galley, with her usual crew, six in number, and a stoker who had obtained leave to go on shore to see his wife, was despatched from the ship to the shore for the purpose of bringing off Commander Bruce, who was on shore receiving his orders. It had been blowing heavily all day from the southwest, with a good deal of sea at times. In the harbour channel, where the ebb had made out strong at the time the boat left the vessel for the shore, there was a heavy sea, caused by the meeting of the tide and wind. As the boat, under a lug sail, got into this broken water, she buried her bow in the trough of the sea, and, not rising again, filled and turned over. The men clung to the keel, and the boat turned over again, the coxswain got into her with another

man clinging to the opposite gunwale. The remainder of the crew appear to have had hold of the boat, but dropped off one by one from exhaustion, and the heavy sea with the strong ebb, before aid could reach them. The disaster was witnessed from the shore, and several boats put off, but as the wind blew fresh on shore, and the sea was heavy, they were unable to reach the spot. The coxswain and his companion in misfortune would also have perished had not a steam-tug been lying in the harbour with her steam up. Her captain immediately pushed out, and arrived in time to save the two men on the boat.

24. THE INDIAN MUTINEERS.— KHAN BAHADOOR KHAN.-One of the most atrocious of the Indian revolters has met his just doom by the hands of the hangman-Khan Bahadoor Khan, of Bareilly. This miscreant was the descendant and representative of the former ruler of Rohilcund, who died in battle resisting our most unjust invasion of that country; his family were displaced and reduced to poverty. The descendant of this unfortunate patriot was a dangerous wanderer in our States, when it was thought safer to make some provision for him rather than that his sense of injuries should be exasperated by the bitterness of poverty. He was made a Sudder Ameer, or native judge, and had afterwards retired on a small pension. When, therefore, the mutiny broke out, and the sepoys stationed at Bareilly had murdered their officers, Khan Bahadoor Khan put himself at the head of the movement, as a prince asserting his right to his ancestral dominions. As we certainly had no claim upon the style of t